


Memories of a Home Now Lost

by Cheeto_the_Cat



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Dream Smp, Gen, L'Manberg | L'Manburg on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Niki | Nihachu-centric, Nostalgia for the old L'manburg crew, The Syndicate - Freeform, c!Niki makes me sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:33:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29889450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheeto_the_Cat/pseuds/Cheeto_the_Cat
Summary: Niki nodded along to Techno’s speech, smiling, right up until-“Cause government has never brought anything but pain, right? It’s always just been horrible.”And the smile grew strained.Niki reminisces on L'manburg, and wonders if it was as evil as Techno claims it was.
Relationships: Floris | Fundy & Niki | Nihachu, Niki | Nihachu & Wilbur Soot
Comments: 5
Kudos: 46





	Memories of a Home Now Lost

Niki stood in the freezing snow, listening intently to Techno’s words. It felt so nice to finally have a _place_ again, with people who actually _spoke_ to her. Techno’s words were enticing, powerful. They spoke tales of righteous justice, validated her anger, told her she wasn’t in the wrong.

Here, she could be bitter, use her hurt for strength rather than weakness. Her jagged edges could be turned to blades.

She could leave L’manburg behind, wrap herself in the warm embrace of the Syndicate. A fresh start.

Niki nodded along to Techno’s speech, smiling, right up until-

“Cause government has never brought anything but pain, right? It’s always just been horrible.”

And the smile grew strained. 

_“Where is she? Where’s my darling Niki?”_

_Niki laughed to herself as she heard Wilbur approaching from the forest._

_“Jesus man, stop flirtinggg already.” Tommy’s voice energetically piped up from a bit further back._

_“I’m not flirting, I’m just looking for Niki, man.”_

_Oh, right. “Over here guys!”_

_She strode towards them, coming to a clearing before a proud blackstone wall._

_Wilbur began running towards her, and before she knew it she was being swept up off her feet and spun around by him, laughing breathlessly._

_Eventually her feet felt the ground beneath them again, just in time for Wilbur to pull her into a tight hug, before leaning back to look at her._ _His dark eyes crinkled with joy as she took in his pristine blue uniform, his tricorn hat resting atop a mess of curls._

_“Miss Niki Nihachu, it’s good to see you.” Wilbur’s voice was smooth and lilting_

_Somewhere to the side, she could hear Tommy. “Oi, it’s good to have a woman on our side. Makes us cooler than Dream an’ his lot!”_

_Wilbur grabbed her hand, and started pulling her towards what would be her new home. He grandly gestured with his free arm, with all the showmanship he could muster._

_“Niki, welcome to L’manburg!”_

For all she tried, she couldn’t quite shake the giddy sense of hope she first felt when she saw those walls.

  
  
  
  
  


_Her bakery was perfect._

_Fundy had helped transform the small cave, placing plants and helping smooth the walls. Niki had added spruce countertops and chests, made herself a little bedroom hidden away from the rest of the home._

_It was completely_ hers _, comforting and warm and ready to be filled with baked goods for the benefit of the cause; a batch of chocolate chip cookies was already cooling on the counter. Niki had noticed how often her fellow L’manburg members were relying on simple baked potatoes and coarse bread, and offered to fill that void._

_Niki had taken a broom to the floor, sweeping away crumbs and dust from construction, quietly humming the anthem to herself as she worked._

_All of a sudden, hands gently covered her eyes, and she yelped in surprise, dropping the broom._

_“Guess who?”_

_Niki pulled off the hands, grinning, and turned to face Wilbur._

_“I have a gift for you.”_

_“Ok?” She responded, nervously laughing._

_He had a bag of some sort hooked onto his arm, which he then slid off and handed to her._

_“I think it’ll look fantastic, the color suits you.”_

_Niki pulled a bundle of powder blue fabric from it, shaking it out to get a full view._

_It was her very own uniform, in her favorite shade, carefully embellished with gold epaulettes and lining. Eret had truly outdone himself._

_Wilbur smiled widely. “Go, try it on.”_

_When she emerged in full costume, Wilbur had half a cookie shoved in his mouth, crumbs littering the previously clean floor. He immediately started clapping, swallowing what remained of the dessert._

_Niki gave a twirl. “Do you like it? I wasn’t sure about the fit of the jacket, but-”_

_Wilbur cut her off. “It’s perfect, Niki.” He looked a bit sheepish. “Your cookies are great too.”_

_Before she could respond, Tubbo came barging in, a man on a mission._

_He made a beeline for her counter, eyeing the baked goods with a purpose._

_“Hey Niki, I smelled the chocolate and it’s been so long since I’ve had any and- woah! Is that your new uniform?” His eyes were wide. “You look so pretty!”_

_Niki giggled. “Thank you, I-”_

_Next, Tommy entered, followed closely by Jack, cursing under his breath._

_“Wilbur! Ah good, you’re here. Listen- we maybe, possibly have gotten ourselves into a bit of a situation with Sapnap but in our defence- wait- is that the outfit we had made? It looks sick!” He was talking a mile a minute, but stopped to walk around Niki, properly taking in the look._

_It was all a bit overwhelming, but in that moment, Niki’s heart felt full. She stepped forward and ruffled Tubbo’s hair affectionately, with Tommy ducking from her reach. “Yes, this is the new uniform, Eret did a great job on it. And yes, you guys can have cookies.”_

_With that, the three boys ran over, shoving each other in an effort to get there faster._

_From beside her, Wilbur chuckled, and looked at her fondly._

_“I’m glad you’re here Niki. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”_

_Niki felt safe in her new clothes, in her new homes, surrounded by new friends._

_“Yeah, I am too.”_ _  
_

Was this the fearsome government she was supposed to hate? 

  
  
  
  


_Niki was drowning in fabric, pooling over her lap and onto the grass below._

_Her flag was almost finished, but light was getting low and her stitches were getting harder to see from the light of the campfire. The behemoth of a sewing project was enough to serve as several quilts, but the signature pattern of Xs in familiar_ _colors made it perfect for her nation._

_On the other side of the fire pit, Wilbur was playing any tune that came to mind on his guitar, much to the joy of Fundy, Karl, and Jack, who were singing along joyfully._

_The current favorites seemed to be a sea shanty, some drinking song that had prompted a generous amount of whiskey in their bloodstreams, and, as always, the national anthem._

_Niki had sat calmly, watching the chaos unfold from afar, determined to finish this project._

_She wanted to make her mark on this country, make something that they could look at and feel the same love for that she did for them, for this place. A symbol of devotion, not taken or forced, but freely given._

_To belong, to put trust in those she loved- a leap of faith in hope of a bright future. That was all she had wanted. All she would ever want._

_“Hey- Niki.”_

_She shook herself out of her thoughts, and looked up to see Wilbur’s eyes on her._

_“Yeah?”_

_“Give me a song, would you? It’s getting late, and I’d like to be able to walk home in a straight line.”_

_She smiled softly and abandoned her flag for the moment, touched by the gesture. Remembering a late night, similar to this one, she gave her answer: “you know the one.”_

_Wilbur smiled, a little confused. “I do?”_

_“Please never fall in love again?” Her favorite song, one he had sang for her before._

_“Ah- I do know.”_

_And with that, a gentle cadence of chords began, Wilbur’s fingers sliding with ease over the strings. Jack and Fundy’s quiet breathing and the crackling of the fire added to the beauty of the tune._

_Niki yawned, realizing with a start just how tired she was._

_Fundy patted the ground besides him, and beckoned for Niki to sit. Grabbing the flag, she settled down, close enough to rest some of her weight on him. Fundy laid his head on her shoulder and haphazardly pulled the fabric over their bodies. Perhaps it_ would _serve as a good blanket, she thought._

_The quiet hum of Wilbur’s voice led Niki’s mind to the peaceful drowsiness that only came from complete and total trust of those around her. The rest of the memory was obscured from her mind as sleep took control, but the impression of fond camaraderie remained._

God, she missed them. Missed her friends, her country, her home. She missed her flag, and Wilbur’s guitar, and her bakery. She longed for the warmth, and physical contact, for soft hands and something to believe in. If the syndicate was the best way for her to find that, then so be it.

But as she tuned back into Techno’s words, she couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe he was wrong.

Because when Techno thought of L’manburg, he thought of government, of treaties and theories and ideologies.

When Niki thought of L’manburg, she thought of home.

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> My love for Niki, and her and Wilbur's dynamic will never die. This is very much self indulgent and very much fueled by a distaste for how Techno thinks of old L'manburg, bon appetit.
> 
> If you enjoyed, consider leaving a kudos or especially a comment, I love to read them <3


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